Slight Delay

Hey everyone, once again the podcast has been held up a bit longer than I would have liked. This time it is due to Roundtable scheduling. The first Roundtable has been giving me trouble with getting participants to get back in touch with me so I can coordinate schedules and get the thing running etc. so I have shoved it back. The second table, however, has come along more smoothly and should be recorded this weekend (along with the rest of the next episode) so you can expect a new episode sometime next week (hopefully Monday or Tuesday).

In addition I thought I'd take this opportunity to make a couple announcements about the roundtables. Although these announcements are being made on the blog first they will be in the next Episode so that no one misses them. 1) If you are interested in participating in one of the Monster Play Roundtables, send me an email at the Through the Palantir gmail account. This lets me easily get back in touch with you and give access to things like schedules and outlines via Google's myriad of features. However I must also say that if you express interest but fail to reply to queries about availability etc. in a timely manner then I will schedule without you and you will not be on the podcast roundtable.

2) Merric of a Casual Stroll to Mordor will be on as many of these roundtables as possible. I invited him along and gave him permission to record and do whatever he wanted short of live streaming. This means that everything will be released after editing which means we have slightly more freedom to get de-railed, sidetracked, and generally have fun while recording. More importantly, it means that we will also be reaching a larger audience which is fantastic according to me since the primary goal is to have the roundtable out there as a resource for everyone in the community.

3) When scheduling falls through I will change the order of Roundtables. I am already doing this with the Warleader Roundtable and Defiler Roundtable by pushing the Warleader's back and going forward with the Deffies. But in the future I will try to actually bring Roundtables further up so that the podcast schedule does not slip up. But since it is already too late for that this time around, I will be recording the Warleader roundtable and releasing a (probably) shorter episode within a week of the Defiler one. This means that if you are/were interested in participating in either of those roundtables you have a very short window in which to get in for the Warleader one, and for the Defiler's you basically have 1 day for me to be able to squeeze you in (but I have plenty of Defilers so it's not a problem).

That's all for now and I shall have the next Episode out very soon. Expect to hear our alternate intro music for a while along with some fun new stings.

-Ivan

Episode 23: Everything Worth Mentioning

Once more Ivaneus has come forth to share his knowledge and views on the Lord of the RIngs Online in his own manner. This week we tackle Update 5.1, the Riders of Rohan announcement, wrap up the Ettenmoors Geography, and tackle player email and blog comments. So sit back, relax, and have a happy and prosperous year of the dragon as we go Thorugh the Palantir.

-Ivaneus

You can download Episode 23 here.

Episode 22: A Lull in the Holidays

Join Ivaneus, Ivan, and me in this episode of Through the Palantir as we discuss the Instance cluster from Update 5, what we have done since December, and a new sponsor?!? Is that even legal?!?! Possibly. You'll just have to listen and find out for yourself! Also included is a new newbies rundown of the Ettenmoors as well as Ivan's thoughts on ideal group composition in PvMP and an abudant lack of emails, comments and messages to respond to. Looks like Ivaneus will have to delve into the horros of real life to find more things to talk about. So pull up a chair, pop some Apirin (or painkillers) and get ready for another trip Through the Palantir. Enjoy. -Ivaneus

You can download Episode 22 here.

Episode 21: Update Moose

Once again the time has come to prepare yourselves to face another episode of Through the Palantir. This time Ivaneus will be working his way through some of the information surrounding the release of Update 5 and all that is coming therein as well as resuming the Ettenmoors walkthrough and finally cpping the entire production off with the announcement of a new contact system for Through the Palantir and a special . . . "gift" for the holiday season. So just sit back, grab some tea, and enjoy the ride.

-Ivaneus

You can download Episode 21 here.

Episode 20 Fixed

I would like to thank Morlag of Landroval for alerting me to the fact that more than 50% of Episode 20 had failed to upload (which explains why it only took 3 minutes to upload . . .). After being alerted to the issue I was able to find that the error was in the base MP3 file and that my editing software was not properly creating the MP3, cutting it off at about 16:48. After numerous failed attempts to fix this I went online and downloaded a new version of my editor, dumped the old one and that has solved the problem. The new version is up now so be sure to clear the faulty one and re-download the full version of Episode 20.

And Happy Thanksgiving!

-Ivaneus

Episode 20: No Superpowers, Transformations, or Illnesses

Join Ivaneus as he finally decides to take some action and get another podcast done all on his own. In this Episode he discusses what has happened over the past few months, the launch of Isengard, the status of his co-hosts, Matthrim Day, and the future. So settle in for what will hopefully be the return of a schedule to Through the Palantir!

-Ivaneus

You can download Episode 20 here.

Updates and Announcements

Hey everyone, Ivaneus here. I know we haven't had a new episode in some time so I want to bring you up to speed on what is currently going on and allay any worries that we may have called it quits (we haven't).

So here's what has been and will be happening in the past and future few weeks:

1) Malware attacks. Our blogsite got infected in the same round of attacks that temporarily took out CstM's site. Whether the original infection was on our site and passed to theirs or vice versa is something I do not know and don't care to know. What's more important is that both sites have been cleaned up and Google has declared the blog clean. So good news at the end of that.

2) Matthrim is pulling out of Through the Palantir for the foreseeable future. He basically claims he doesn't have time to podcast now (to which I respond that he hasn't even tried, more on that later) and in the interests of getting back to podcasting we'll let him go, if plan B turns out to still not work.

3) Speaking of plan B, I will be moving back to the United States of America for a bit over 1 month. There are familial reasons for this which I will not discuss here, but the move is not permanent, I will return to Singapore around December the 7th and remain here for the foreseeable future after that. But while I am in the USA, we will definitely see if getting a podcast schedule coordinated is easier.

4) Up until now, we have been totally unable to get together online a the same time to record a podcast. The last time we were all online together was during the first week after the launch of Isengard. Every time we have been online together the other two are saying we shouldn't record now so we haven't recorded. The problem is that although I have tried everything I can think of, the truth is that I have no way to impose my will upon my fellow co-hosts and compell them to get online and record (nor would I truly want to do that). However, if you still feel that you wish to take a crack at it then feel free to. Also, both Matthrim and Drilorin do not have Garden Gnomes so they have a large defensive gap where Black Magic is concerened, if you think that's your preferred method of dominating wills that is . . .

5) I have started regularly posting videos on YouTube! The YouTube Channel is for me what Drilorin talks about Drilorin is for Drilorin, a creative outlet for when the regular podcast is running into snags and a separate endeavor. But thanks to our typical podcasting schedule (which is basically whenever Matthrim is hit on the head with a coconut a.k.a. Rarely) this is the most regularly updated thing any of us does, much to my chagrin. But if you want to check out something from us you can find my channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/Ivaneus27?feature=mhee

6) If Plan B fails and Drilorin is also unable to continue regularly scheduled podcast then protocol U-27 will be enacted. In such an event, I shall take over the podcast and run it by myself (with as many guest features as possible) until my co-hosts are able to return to the show. For the sake of absolutely everyone I pray that we do not have to enact protocol U-27.

7) The Lotro Reporter Segments will remain on hold for the foreseeable future. That's a three man endeavor, so until we get everyone on a normal rotation it won't return. Don't hold your breath since I don't expect everyone to get on a regular schedule until 2013.

Well that's all for now. Happy Depavali and Good Luck and Have Fun out there!

-Ivaneus

GAMESiPLAY Review:

First things first, what is GamesiPlay (GiP) and why would you, our listeners/followers care about it?

GiP is a website designed by gamers for gamers of all types. One of the foremost goals of GiP is to revolutionize the way gamers of all genres connect to each other the way Facebook has revolutionized the way middle and high school girls, and all of your aunts (enstranged or otherwise) connect with everyone else on the planet.

But, GiP is not trying to be Facebook or any other "social networking" site. Instead the people behind GiP came at it from the perspective of long time gamers and asked, "What do gamers want to have when connecting to other gamers?" Then they went a built a site around that vision and they have done a good job with it.

GamesiPlay has forums, a personal page for account holders that is reminiscent of the My.Lotro page Turbine gives to Lotro players, and a unique point system that has obviously been inspired by the achievement systems of more recent games, and been taken back to the old school arcade days. Two more important distinguishing features are: 1) GiP is not restricted to just Computer Games etc. They have everything that doesn't fall under "sports." Trading Card Games (TCGs), Computer Games, Role-Playing Games (RPGs), Board Games, Card Games, Flash Games, you name it and they support it. 2) GiP works to support Tournaments and other events for multiple genres in the Real World, and works with Hobby Shops ad Comic Stores (you know, the guys that were the connection place for gamers before and during the time of the Internet (especially if they played RPGs or TCGs)?) which is quite unique for a "social networking" site.

One final thing to note about GiP is that it supports 2 important features for gamers and aspiring gamers: 1) A catalogue of games of many genres with basic information and ratings and places to go to play said game, try it out, or buy it. And, 2) multiple flash games and flash based adaptations of games that have been approved by the parent companies of those games and link directly to that score I mentioned before that is tied to your account.

While there is plenty more to be said about GiP, I shall leave it to you to decide for yourselves whether or not you wish to go to GamesiPlay and find out about it for yourselves . . .

For rating, I give GiP 5/5 stars for being unique, creative, and working hard to fill a niche role as best as they possibly can. The guys behind this site really have worked hard to put in as many things as they know they'd want and that they know other gamers would want in their site and it all comes together in a cohesive and coherent fashion.

-Ivaneus of Through the Palantir

Episode 19: Our Shortest One Yet!

Join Matthrim and Drilorin as they dissect a pair of dev diaries in record time (for TTP) and assure you that we are NOT dead.



You can download Episode 19 here.

Episode 18: We're Late!

The latest (in more ways than one) episode of Through the Palantir come to you nearly 9 weeks after it was recorded! [BLAME IVAN.] Join Ivaneus and Matthrim as they discuss upcoming proposed changes to many classes come the Rise of Isengard and respond to some emails from the listeners on this 2 hour podcast.



You can download Episode 18 here.